Stanford man arrested for DUI after fiery I-75 crash

Christopher Risner was charged with DUI following a single vehicle crash on I-75 about midnight Wednesday near the 15-mile marker.

Two allegedly intoxicated Stanford residents got a trip to jail instead of the hospital following a fiery single vehicle crash on I-75 near the 15-mile marker that happened about midnight Wednesday.

Goldbug Fire and Rescue and Williamsburg Fire and Rescue responded to the crash in the northbound lane and when they arrived at the scene they discovered a vehicle that had rolled over in the median and caught fire, according to a Goldbug release.

Whitley County EMS treated both occupants of the vehicle for injuries at the scene prior to their arrest, the Goldbug release noted.

Whitley County Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Foley charged the driver of the 2006 blue Subaru, Christopher J. Risner, 23, with reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol/drugs, failure of non-owner operator to maintain required auto insurance and second-degree wanton endangerment.

At the scene, Risner was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and smelled strongly of alcoholic beverage, Foley wrote on the arrest citation.

Risner failed three field sobriety tests and had a .184 blood alcohol level on his Breathalyzer test, Foley wrote.

His passenger, Logan T. Edwards, 23, allegedly had blood shot eyes, slurred speech, was unsteady on her feet and had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage about her person, Foley wrote on her arrest citation.

She was charged with alcohol intoxication.

Both were lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center.

Edwards was released on bond about 5:36 a.m. Thursday, according to the detention center’s website.

According to court documents, Risner pleaded guilty during his arraignment Thursday afternoon to the DUI charge.

Whitley District Judge Fred White sentenced Risner to a 30-day jail sentence that was probated for two years, and ordered that his driver’s license be suspended for 90 days.

White also ordered Risner to complete alcohol and drug education classes and fined him $200, plus a $375 DUI service fee, in addition to court costs and arrest fees.

White merged the reckless driving charge with the DUI charge and dismissed the wanton endangerment charge without prejudice.

He scheduled an Oct. 17 pre-trial conference on the insurance charge.

The Williamsburg Police Department also assisted at the scene.